Hundreds of local residents will learn the life-saving skill of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during the fourth annual Press the Chest event held Saturday, June 7, at the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center Teaching Gymnasium.

The free community-wide CPR training event will be held from 10 a.m. – noon and is presented by Leon County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the American Heart Association, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Capital Regional Medical Center and FAMU’s Student Health Services.

Press the Chest, which registered 400 participants in 2013, provides training from Leon County’s award-winning EMS personnel on the newest standards in emergency-rescue procedures. This year’s participants will be provided with a Press the Chest 2014 American Heart Association “CPR Anytime Kit,” which contains a CPR manikin, DVD, educational materials and supplies. Participants are asked to use the kits to train family and friends.

The event is designed to help increase the ability of community members to successfully perform CPR in the event of a medical emergency. In Leon County, only 20 percent of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from bystanders prior to EMS arrival.

To register for the event, visit www.LeonCountyFL.gov/PressTheChest.

For more information regarding Press the Chest 2014, contact EMS Capt.Sally Davis, public education coordinator, at (850) 606-2100 or DavisSal@LeonCountyFL.gov.